[ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. at the top of the show, we asked you, why are you awake? it's a pretty good question. producer john tower has some of your answers. >> faith writes my boyfriend wakes up in the middle of the night to turn on the tv for no other reason than to fall asleep. >> at least he's tuned into the right channel. thanks for getting up with us. nice to meet you at this hour.

thanks, john, "morning joe" begins right now. . >> there you go. >> oh. oh. there we go. >> oh, he's so cute. okay. >> that's not fair. here's the thing, the guy -- >> yeah. >> you know we go out like we're watching a football game and having ribs and we then wander out and shoot some baskets and

feel good about ourselves. this guy, like three minutes earlier, just found out north korea was firing nuclear missiles and he was trying to figure out how to scramble them, right? it gets in your head. >> good morning, everyone. it's tuesday, april 2nd. welcome to "morning joe" with us onset we have msnbc contributor mike barnicle who is very tired. opening day, come on. >> scored a lot of runs. >> and mark haleprin. >> you know you're old if you're tired from a baseball game that starts at 1:00 p.m. >> exactly. i don't think i want to know. well, that's nice. you enjoyed opening day. >> it was fantastic. i want to know, first of all about the president, though. i think that was a cheap shot showing him in the beginning. willie, you're a great basketball player. basketball was never my thing. when you're hot, you're hot. but there have been times when i've gone out and i've had the ball. there are times you close your eyes, you just can't miss. there are other times where you can do that and you miss

everything. and there have been times where i go son of a -- i get so angry. a i'll goim going to do a lay-u it's like that. >> you'd like to see him finish around the basket a little better than he did. the lay-up was the one that hurts. >> stop it. stop showing this. this is not fair. this is not fair. stop it. stop it. by the way, give the guy respect. i mean, he keeps shooting from outside, right? >> sure. >> no fear. he knows the cameras are on him. you know what, there are a lot of guys in pennsylvania in pensacola, florida, they got the cameras on them in the world. i think all of us would've -- >> by all accounts, the president has game. he's good. like you said, an off moment. >> all right. >> there were some -- there were some accounts given without tongue in cheek that this was a metaphor for his presidency -- >> stop it. come on.

>> also, the other thing that's hard to do if you've ever been in a backyard barbecue with the dress shirt on, it's hard to get the arms up. >> stop it. >> everybody knows i lacerated this guy for the bowling game. stop this. >> you mentioned altoona. >> i'm not going to make that sound. but please don't show it again, t.j. stop it. >> stop. >> no, i'm not looking. i'm not looking. i'm not looking. i'm not going to do it. hey, t.j., i'm serious. take that thing. >> that first pitch. >> stop it. i'm trying to be nice. let's talk about opening day. >> okay. >> this guy, though, i've seen this guy sink some shots. >> he can shoot. >> he can shoot. that's not fair. opening day. >> did you have fun? >> it was a special day. mike barnicle, of course, knows some people with the red sox organization. and since he knew he was going to be asleep by the third inning at about 1:45, i took the family out. >> took his seats. >> and it was exciting.

little jack going around -- >> that's so cute. >> the boston red sox cap. >> and now at the point where they're old enough -- >> and the guys from queens punching him. i mean, he's 4, but he's got to learn. no, everybody was nice. it's a great, beautiful day after -- the beatles would say a long, cold -- it was a great day. >> it was great to have the baseball back. it's a great feeling. at the beginning of the game, it was wonderfully warm. the sun was out. it became winter for -- >> it did. >> for a number of degrees for the seventh inning. two-thirds of the people at yankee stadium appeared to have gone home by the seventh inning. but it's nice to have the baseball back. >> and the had lineup he was pitching to was on the ridge with little league. >> and of course, the sox could lose 161 games, it's the first game of the season, but lester,

yesterday, man looked really good. >> going to have a huge year. >> you think so? >> yes. >> okay. is it too late to pick fantasy baseball teams? but it was great to have it. and mets had a good day, right? >> yeah. they won. >> mets won too. that's great. >> it was a long day because after opening day we ended up at the graduation of the 10,000 small businesses program for goldman sachs with -- we did a panel, i did with arianna huffington. tory birch, and gary cohen, and it was fantastic. there's a graduate there who has a carpet business that she started. she's going to be on the show a little bit later. and we're going to talk about the way that they infused the tools that women need to start their own business. and it was so cool to be -- i think it was our fourth one. >> yeah. it was really cool. and it's always whenever i see

these things, i'm reminded of my parents, small business owners. you know, when you're a small business owner, you know, you live it 24 hours a day, and seeing these women coming up with an idea and living it. we'll just say it, they get advice from some of the greatest minds in american business. yeah, so, anyway, can't wait to talk about that. we have a lot of things to talk about here. i saw this on the "new york times." this is interesting, mark haleprin, japan is shifting further away from pacifism. does this mean we can stop paying for their national defense? >> well, that certainly would be part of it if they made a change. look, a lot of the tensions the united states has now are north korea, obviously in the news, but also with china. and the japanese need to have a

full-throated debate about what their future's going to be like. they have in their constitution they're not allowed to have offensive military capability. they have a huge military, lots of intelligence and a huge strategic location for the u.s. right now. so i think they will have this debate, but it's going to be hard to get the country to change. because a lot of people in japan don't want a different posture. and national security's a big part of that portfolio. >> all right. let's go, though, to the politics and gun laws and what's going on in connecticut which is fairly significant. 3 1/2 months after 20 school children were killed in a mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school, connecticut lawmakers have reached a deal for what they call the toughest gun control laws in the country. in the new bill, includes a number of things including a ban on magazines that carry ten or more bullets. while a grandfather clause will allow those who currently own those types of magazines to keep them if registered. the bill also creates a new registry for existing

high-capacity magazines. extends the state's assault weapons ban to include 100 new types of guns, creates a dangerous weapon offender registry, imposes immediate universal background checks for all firearm sales and addresses mental health and school safety measures. kind of sounds like something that maybe we all wanted after newtown for the rest of the country. but it appears less and less likely there will be dramatic changes to federal gun laws. the "washington post" reports this morning, the senate has struggled to gain support for universal background checks. and even bipartisan plans to make gun trafficking a federal crime could be gutted if lawmakers adopt new language to the provision. the white house has also acknowledged bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are likely not politically viable. >> so, mike, first connecticut, that's some significant gun

reform up there. >> significant gun reform in connecticut, but depressing -- >> totally depressing, pathetic. >> we talked about it several times last week. over the past several months. when you have 80% of the american public in favor of high-capacity magazines. something being done about that, universal registration, some reluctan reluctance. >> background checks. >> yeah, background checks and you continually have a huge swath of congress on both sides of the hill, you know, in opposition to it and opposition to passing the sensible bill, it's truly depressing. >> mark haleprin, i talked to some people at the white house who still feel they can get background checks for criminals. they can get background checks to try to screen people with mental health issues. do you still sense some optimism there on criminal and mental background checks? >> well, i think it may be impossible to pregame in the sense that let's wait until this

gets on the floor of the senate and we start to see the public debate. i think you'll see the president, the vice president, the forces who have been advertising, including mayor bloomberg try to focus the country's attention at that moment. the house is a big problem for those who would like to see legislation pass. and there'll be nowhere to hide at that point. not just for republicans, but for democrats who have been reluctant to take some of this stuff up. >> you have a great point, and i think of all of the things that ever happened when i was in congress, the most surprising was actually in a gun control debate where the democrats took a gun control law to the floor, willie, and we were like, oh, lord, we're going to get absolutely pounded. they're going to kill us for days talking about, you know, how cold-hearted we are. and it got on the floor and i remember others shifted the debate. and i'd never seen anything

shift like that. i think the shoe's on the other foot now. i think you get this debate on the floor. and i think if you start talking about criminal background checks to make sure rapists, to make sure, you know, people that are violent offenders get screened to make sure people with mental health issues get screened. to make sure that people that have committed assault at least we have to screen for them. >> they can say they've given a victory to gun control advocates. i think it's a measure of how difficult it is to get things done.

if it goes through, will be the toughest gun law in the country. doesn't touch handguns, which are responsible for most of the shooting deaths in this country. obviously in places like new haven, connecticut, big cities, the handgun is the problem. so this is progress if you believe that gun control is a good thing. it's very tough by our national standards. >> right. >> but it still leaves a lot of room and a lot to be desired. >> it's going to be interesting to see in the course of this debate what the opposition says in opposition to background checks. what do you say? >> a bridge too far is one explanation i heard. then when chuck todd pressed jeff lake on it, he said, well, it's a lot of paperwork and it would get complicated especially when you're sharing guns between.

with all due respect to members of the republican party have already lost, are there certain sections of the country where they represent where we don't get it and that they will lose their jobs? >> of course there are a lot of people in manhattan. in chicago. i'm just saying, in urban centers that don't, quote, get it, don't get the culture. that's not just about guns. that's about faith, that's about evangelicals. >> is it that extreme? >> there's a big cultural divide here. but i will tell you, most people whether you're in pensacola, florida, or whether you're in, you know, connecticut, believe there should be background checks for criminals. i believe there should be background checks for people with mental health issues. >> are there people who think they should have bushmasters?

>> no, no, but it is the argument that's always been made. and i've made it. >> okay. >> i made it when i was in congress nonstop. we're going to start here and move the line. you get what are called assault weapons. >> right. >> what's next? then are you going to go after my glock? are you going to go after, you know, another type of handgun? and then how far does that go? at least since 2008, we know how far that goes. >> right. >> scalia has outlined it and he said, and to court said we know this for sure, you can't bend an entire class of guns like handguns. you can't ban guns in common usage that people use to protect their family and their homes. you can't ban handguns, you can't do it. but as we will see from this connecticut law, you will not have gun organizations trying to overturn this connecticut law.

they know the legislature in connecticut the constitutional boundaries to ban high-capacity magazines and some of these other things that some republicans have been going out saying are unconstitutional. if they believe it's unconstitutional, they need to take it to the supreme court and let the supreme court make a decision on it. >> i think you could imagine a world coming up here where the nation is focused on the senate floor where you have what has to happen to be movement. one is the nra has to back off or fear less. or you have to have republicans feel they're really concerned about what happened in newtown, they want to make changes. imagine a world where a nancy reagan or a george bush 41, or even a james baker, howard bake, someone who has spoken out in

the past for gun control, imagine if they become part of that debate. less michael bloomberg versus the nra and more of a search for middle ground. then i think you get a john mccain or somebody else who supports some of these measures and maybe some momentum on the floor. >> again, 90%, 91% background check supports for criminals. and, so -- >> some generals here on the show who think the assault weapons are not necessary. >> but you don't ever know how it goes. it's kind of like a jump ball going back to basketball. you never know which way it's going to go. like i said before, we were surprised that in the late '90s when we had the debate on the floor over gun control, you know, rand paul actually really broke through when he had a filibuster on drone policy. i suspect when this goes under the senate floor finally people will actually stop. this will be one debate where people will stop. as i said before, regardless of your views on guns, newtown

changed everything. newtown changed everything. and it still changed everything despite the fact people are still blocking it. going to be very curious to see what the nra does on this because i think they may, like you said, willie, they may let universal background checks if you allow the individual the individual transfers go by. may tell their members vote how you want to vote, we know it's a 90% issue, we know we supported this ten years ago. go ahead. >> the coverage of the debate is going to be a critical component. >> yeah. >> it'll be unlike any coverage of any past gun control debate. it'll be massive and constant. >> we're going to get one more story in here before we go to break. rick perry is standing his ground when it comes to president obama's expansion of medicaid. demonstrators protested perry's reluctance to opt into the program during a news conference where the governor argued obama care would make texas, quote,

hostage to the federal government. under the affordable care act, states are encouraged to extend medicaid programs to the poor. but unlike perry, several republican governors have agreed to the program despite their opposition to obama care. perry said those governors would, quote, come to rue the day because medicaid will take a larger and larger share of their state budgets. by opposing medicaid's expansion, texas could lose up to $90 billion in federal funding. >> explain this to us, if you will. there's a concern among legislators i've talked to in tallahassee about the out years. like the president of the senate. you said, listen, yes, we would love the money in year one. we would love money in year two. we would love the money in year three, what scares us is what happens in years four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ten as we take on and the medicaid grows.

suddenly 70% of our budget, you know, that's the real concern, isn't it? >> when the formula changes a lot of these states are worried. obama care is a big moving target in terms of things being phased in. the phase-in for small business is changing. every year, the parts of the law will go into effect. every year, there'll be changes in what happens with premiums, what happens with state budgets, what happens with the benefits package. and it's going to be up to the president and the administration to deal with these individual states, a lot of whom like florida and texas are undecided about how aggressive they're going to be in implementing the law of the land. and states are worried because for them, the medicaid budget, for any state is just a huge part of how they figure. >> by the way, whether you're talking about rick scott in florida or jerry brown in california, you talk to any of them, you talk about medicaid, and mike, they'll tell you, my

lord, this is devouring our budget. >> oh, it's a ticking time bomb for every state, every state, every state in the union. >> all right. we'll talk about this more. but coming up on "morning joe," arianna huffington will be joining us. also david axelrod, valerie jarrett and reverend al sharpton. but first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill? >> it was a tease yesterday, april fool's day. the warm air arrived in the northeast for one day, that's it. the cold air is back, but not for long, good things coming your way next week. let's show you what's happening out there this morning, though. a cold morning, windchills in the teens and 20s and we've got some snow out there. coming off of lake erie and lake ontario. especially from syracuse through upstate new york right around albany. could even be a little bit of accumulating snows. now, as far as the other areas of concern out there, not so much airports, we should be okay today, yesterday it was near 60 in new york city, today, 48, cooler in d.c., around 50, but

at least a lot of sunshine around. now, over the next couple of days, heavy rain is going to spread from oklahoma to texas. if there's going to be airport trouble late today, the dallas airports and also san antonio, possibly oklahoma city, and then all that rain will shift through the deep south as we go throughout tuesday and thursday. here's the set-up, this is winter's last gas, warm and chilly, great lakes to the northeast. but as we get into next week, a big pattern change. all the cool weather goes to the west and we should see a big warm-up in the east. the big warm-up that we've been waiting for very, very patiently. you're watching "morning joe." we're brewed by starbucks. what's droid-recognition ?

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25 past the hour, time to look at the morning papers. the richmond times dispatch. activists say last marked the deadliest in syria's civil war with 6,000 people killed in march. the human rights group says 2,000 civilians were among the dead. at last check, the u.n. had the death toll at 70,000 people since the fighting began o two years ago. if you haven't received your tax return yet, it may be because the irs is behind on processing.ed processing return days behind schedule. so far, 77 million returns have been processed compared to 82 million this time last year. >> the los angeles times, a federal judge said the city of stockton in california can go forward with bankruptcy protection. making it the largest city in

the u.s. to fail financially. the city owes $900 million alone to a public employee retirement fund to cover pensions, its single largest source of debt. the "new york times," president obama is expected to announce a $100 million initiative to map and better understand the human brain. scientists liken the undertaking to the human genome project. backers hope it will lead to progress in the treatment of alzheimer's, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. >> and from our parade of papers, the charleston post and courier mark sanford will compete for a shot at his former congressional seat. he got about 40% of the vote in the primary is favored over lesser known candidate. the winner faces elizabeth colbert bush. her famous brother, stephen colbert will host high-dollar fundraisers for her in new york

and d.c. the democrat has not held the south carolina seat in more than 30 years. the "arkansas democrat gazette," may flower, arkansas, where thousands of barrels of crude oil have spilled into neighborhoods. one resident uploaded this video on to youtube. >> my house is here, which is seemingly unaffected, but the smell is unbelievable. i mean, look. incredible, and that is oil. >> wow. it's a bubble and brew. >> 65-year-old pipeline ruptured on monday. texas was fined three years ago for not inspecting another section of that aging pipeline. "the los angeles times," the walking dead scored monster ratings in the finale of the third season. according to amc, the episode pulled in the network's biggest audience ever. 12.4 million viewers. this is ground breaking.

the network says it was the most watched show this season in key viewing demographics, beating out shows like "the big bang theory," and "modern family." >> network shows. >> amc has scored critical acclaim with shows like "mad men" and "breaking bad." >> dave chapelle, coming back, guy who famously walked away from $50 million when comedy central had just an extraordinarily funny show and just -- >> he's been gone, what, six, seven years. >> a long time. >> we need him back. >> i know. >> and from our hero file here. >> thank goodness. >> thank goodness. >> there are a lot of people. i was talking about altoona, pennsylvania, there are a lot of people this summer, they're going to take their kid, right, to the swimming pool and bring two nannies for their one kid. what happens if both nannies drown? >> two people for every one kid.

>> two nannies for every child. heidi klum, and thank god the new york post was there with a photographer to take pictures of this -- >> her breasts are hanging out -- >> what are you talking about? >> got to get the whole story. >> and if you want the whole story. >> only one place to go. >> you don't have the whole story, you want that picture. >> the public has a right to know. >> they do. >> seriously, listen, you know -- >> it's a flaming sort of truth, joe. >> you've got one child, two nannies, which one are you going to save? it's sophie's choice? meryl streep taught us about this in the early 1980s. which nanny do i save? >> she saved them both. >> glad everyone's okay. >> two nannies? what are you doing? and not working. you're on the beach. >> both of them. she saved them both. >> they're both fine and so are the nannies.

>> aren't you going to be with your kids? >> she's busy. >> i see. tanning. >> and the nannies are okay too. >> i'm sorry, i know i sound like -- >> third grade. >> third grade. >> chief white house correspondent for politico is mike allen with a look at the playbook. good morning. >> hey, y'all. >> you can't help yourselves, you're talking about hillary clinton 2016 this morning saying if you're looking for clues -- >> we really can't throw stones after what barnicle just said. >> i'm trying to blow past that. you say if you want to see clues whether or not hillary clinton's going to run for president in 2016, got to watch that gubernatorial race in virginia. why do you say that? >> four names, bill clinton, dee dee myers, james carville. >> boom. >> there you've got -- >> not clinton. >> that's four. >> you've got a clinton third

presidential campaign right there, and terry mccall the democratic candidate for governor in virginia is making clear to potential donors, supporters, staffers that a way to get in on the ground floor of hillary 2016 is to help his campaign. those four people, i just mentioned helped him raise $2 million for his campaign in march. an adviser to bill clinton, thatted a fundraiser in his home. but there's one problem with this. he's not running in d.c. hep wants to be known as a virginia businessman, not a d.c. money man as he was when he was head of the democratic national committee. not only is this a test of the hillary clinton organization, how it's playing now, but this is not just any state. virginia, which is now up with ohio as the swing state. >> are you saying, is he telling people explicitly now, if you get in we now, you'll be in with

hillary when she runs in a few years? >> it's a good point. it's subtle. and what we're told is his team of advisers are giving people these ideas. but with that cast of characters, that lineup, it sends the message of its own. some of the top staff also the campaign are people who would be top staff of hillary 2016. so it's visible component of mark haleprin's invisible primary. >> yeah. primary. okay. let's talk about your lead story on "politico" this morning, explain what you say marco rubio is thinking. what did you find? >> this is marco rubio's insurance policy. i know around the table that you agree that even if marco rubio signs on to an immigration deal with the senate gang of eight which looks very likely unless something changes, that's headed toward happening. but once that happens, then how does he sell it to conservatives? how does he sell a plan that senator schumer and president obama are out there bragging

about. well, marco rubio built in a little bit of insurance. here are some of the things he did. behind the scenes, he's been preselling it to conservative leaders, republican talk show hosts, and has been getting pretty good response. you can remember back at the end of january, he did that tour with rush limbaugh, got pretty respectful hearing second -- the path to citizenship included in this is very long. probably ten years, first you have to secure the border, very intense metrics that we're told will take years to accomplish, which reassures people, as well. >> interesting quote in your piece too from senator chuck schumer who talks about how fluent marco rubio and how diligent he's been on this issue of immigration as they work together on it. mike, thanks so much. >> have a great week, thank you. coming up next, what were you doing when you were 20 years old? hitting two home runs in your major league home opener?

bryce harper and the nationals opening day next in sports. ♪ ♪ pnc bank is proud to bring back the father son challenge, in support of the arnold palmer hospital for children and part of our shared commitment to the next generation. learn more at pncfathersonchallenge.com what's the "new" in the new new york?. a new property tax cap... and the lowest middle class income tax rate in 60 years... and a billion dollars in tax breaks and incentives.

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time for a little sports. how about the start for the "washington nationals." to the season yesterday opening against the marlins. the 20-year-old bryce harper wasting no time. first inning, harper is at the plate crushes the solo shot on the right field seats. that makes it 1-0, nats. fourth inning now, nats, 1-0 lead, harper does it again, second home run in as many at bats, the youngest player in mlb history to homer twice on opening day as the nats win 2-0 for one day, anyway, living up to the preseason hype. as we said, yankees playing the red sox in the bronx yesterday, lou pinella was there to throw out the first pitch. sweet lou, throwing a nice one. ba bases loaded for shane victorino, up 3-0 at that point, the yankees, bats looking flat.

seventh inning andrew miller gets cano's swing, the former red sox, red sox run away with it, 8-2, yankees and red sox again tomorrow. clayton kershaw on the hill for dodgers and giants. crawford's swing in the sixth, 1 of 7 strikeouts in the game. scoreless game in the eighth inning. kershaw now at the plate. it's a bomb to dead center field. his first career home run for the pitcher. dodgers win 4-0, kershaw becomes the first player since bob lemon in '53 to hit a home run and throw a shoutout on opening day. pretty good. mets taking on the padres at citi field. deep left, looks like it goes off the top of the wall. it's ruled a home run. grand slam helps to an 11-2 win for the padres.

they start their season off with a win. basketball now, not very surprising news from college hoops, florida gulf coast team became the darlings of this year's ncaa tournament after moving to the sweet sixteen as a 15 seed, never happened before, has been named the new head coach at southern cal. that didn't take long. he is making $157,000 a year at fgcu, sources tell espn that he will earn ten times that much at s.c. faces an uphill climb at his new gig, the trojans have not made the ncaa tournament since 2011. haven't been in the final four since 1954. >> he must be a great coach, huh? >> well, yeah, he's pretty good. the group he pulled together and the confidence they played in the tournament was impressive. it's a hard road. >> was he talking to usc before? >> i don't think anybody knew who he was before that? little news from louisville guard kevin ware suffered that

fracture in the elite eight game against duke. expected to head home from the hospital today. if he continues to recover, he should be able to make it to atlanta to support his team during the final four game on saturday against wichita, state. the university senior associate director tweeted this photograph of ware up and around moving on crutches after he underwent successful surgery on that leg. the coach and his son also visited ware and brought him the midwest regional trophy on sunday. ware's cardinals will face wichita state on saturday. >> oh, gosh. >> thank god for that. coming up on "morning joe," the u.s. moves a destroyer in the korean peninsula as the threats of war, the barks of war continue to come out of north korea. we'll talk to the co-founder of global post charlie senate and j mika's must-read opinion pages.

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all right. time now for the must-read opinion pages at 46 past the hour. we're going to start with the "washington post." a more tolerant gop by dana milbank. and writes this, it's not time to award any medals of courage, but there seems to be a growing if self-interested recognition that intolerance is doing the gop and conservatism real damage. it would be premature to say the party has fundamentally changed. conservatives appear likely to nominate representative steve king of iowa and antiimmigration hard liner and all around bomb thrower to be their gop senate candidate in iowa next year. but there are hopeful signs. fox news channel has dropped sarah palin, bill o'reilly

criticized opposers as bible thumpers. >> well, it's a view from the "washington post." may not be the view in the republican party. i mean, the thing is, there are the democratic party has several wings, the republican party has several wings. you've got the house wing, manier conservative. and the republicans have done, you know, mark, very well. they did horribly in the senate and didn't do too well either. they need to have a winning strategy for the house, the senate and the presidency. and their strategy over the past several years has been good for the house. but it's hurt senate candidates and presidential candidates. this is about winning, it's about being able to do several things at once having a conservative wing of the party, a very conservative wing of the party.

can win elections in connecticut, in maine, in other states where republicans used to always win. >> i'm the one who believes the party's in worse shape than some. >> you think the republican party. >> i think the republican party's in worse shape. yeah, i think they have a lot of problems. you talk about winning in blue states, they've fumbled some seats in red states. failed to pick up the senate seat in new jersey. >> look at new jersey. chris christie's one in new jersey. they can win in blue states if they have the right candidates. >> there's no question. and that's the key to find good candidates. and for instance, the senate committee is looking to make sure if they nominate the right people and once someone gets nominated, they get the kind of help. you're looking for a sign when congressman young said what he said about immigrants, you saw him denounce quickly and unambiguously by speaker of the house, by the chairman of the republican party. that's the kind of thing the party couldn't do before very nimbly. it's an indication that they get

that one thing is clear. if somebody's saying something that's offensive to large segments of the american public, they have to have the courage or at least the political willingness to speak up. >> you say it's in worse shape. mike barnicle, what role do you think? i think it's a moment of tremendous opportunity for the party. and, mike, what role do you think the conservative media plays in taking advantage of that opportunity? >> i think the conservative -- i think mark is absolutely right. there's an inflexibility that people perceive at the top of the republican party among the conservative wing of the republican party and they liken it to a loud party. that's the voice they hear. not the voice of moderate republicans, sensible conservatives. they continually hear, they heard last year-up, murdoch in indiana. they heard, you know, today akin or whatever his name was in missouri. and that's the resident image in their minds. >> it is important to remember

nationally, willie, republicans have 60% of the governors, they control -- i say this all the time. but if you want to talk about the strength of the republican party, look to washington, it's weak, look nationally, it's really strong. it's not like republican ideas are not winning ideas. you have, you know, republicans dominating the governorships in key swing states. they just have to figure out how to make their washington party more flexible and more successful. >> and i think part of the challenge is to do that sincerely and genuinely and not make it look like it's a cynical move to chase demographics when they talk about gay marriage, when they talk about things like immigration when marco rubio gets out there. i think people in the middle want to see they really are interested in making policies to help people not just to chase them because they feel like

they're losing them politically. >> and again, though, you can overreach. and i know it drives people crazy when i talk about my situation. we lost in '92 and everybody blamed pat buchanan for losing in '92, which just did, it is a headline written by the left wing press. it wasn't pat buchanan that lost 1992, it was a tired george h.w. bush who i have great respect for, i love the man. i absolutely love him. and so they decided we're going, we win, we're doing to get a bunch of pro choice moderate women. 1994's going to be the year of the women, right? right? they recruited a moderate pro-choice woman in my district. and in a lot of other districts and they tried to -- the national party, tried to stomp people out like me. of course i was wearing loin cloths and walking around with a torch. i understand. but guess what, you never know what the next battle is going to be. and i won even though newt said

i was too conservative. and even though newt said he was too conservative. we had the state party sanctioning us for no reason at all. and you just never -- you've got to be really careful. when i see bill o'reilly saying people who oppose same-sex marriage are bible thumpers, dismissing 2,500 years of religious and cultural beliefs because you don't believe today the way that the last election tells us we should believe today. i'm seeing the overreaction. >> interesting. >> be careful not to overreact to everything. believe what you want to believe on same-sex marriage, on guns. as willie said, you better believe it. and just because the mainstream media tells us that if you don't believe in our version of same-sex marriage, you're a bigot, that doesn't mean that's where america is. and that doesn't mean that republicans need to reflexively

jerk to the left on a variety of -- including guns. >> yep. >> including guns. it's -- they've got to feel it, they've got to believe it. and guess what, america is not moving as far to the left as everybody thinks. we wouldn't be talking about any of this stuff in mitt romney had an effective targeting strategy. >> but the reality, one of the realities of the republican party is given their strength nationally in states and state legislators, they are more likely than not to hold on to the house of representatives for years to come because of jer gerrymandering and redistricting. they're going to find out what national voice do they want people to hear? >> right. >> they're going to be controlling that house. >> all right. >> and they've got to start electing people and nomination processes that can win statewide in senate races. this is about, i get attacked by so many people that claim to be conservative that aren't conservative. it's about winning. i like winning. i hate losing.

and i hope my party will one day hate losing, despise losing as much as i despise losing. i despise it. i want to win everything. i want to win in the house, in the senate, i want to win in the white house. i remember, you know, a guy in my first campaign was like, how much do you have to win by? he said i have to win by enough so my opponent's dog will be ashamed to be seen with him walking down the street. >> oh, now stop. >> i'm dead serious. >> we get the point. >> republicans have to wait losing more than they love feeling self-righteous. >> you're absolutely right. i hope they don't learn that. >> i hate losing. >> good candidates and reformers win. >> okay. still ahead on "morning joe." former snl cast member julia sweeney will be here with a new book. "if it's not one thing, it's your mother." ♪

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okay. it says here -- well, there's reverend al sharpton, coming up next along with eugene robinson. >> i love him. >> but my friend just texted me. she said joe is so male. it's all about winning. >> yes, it is. >> we'll be right back. flying is old hat for business travelers. the act of soaring across an ocean in a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky.

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pope francis holding his first easter sunday service as pontiff. he called for peace and for helping those in need. fox's connor powell has that story. we'll try to get to that a little bit later on. meanwhile, here at home, people celebrated easter in a lot of different ways with funny hats, parades, and by going to church, of course. we'll try to have that, as well. >> t.j.'s doing local too.

he's doing local. >> it's so bad, i can't tell you. >> he's doing local stuff. he's great. >> okay. welcome back to "morning joe." okay, mike barnicle and mike haleprin are still with us. mark, sorry. this is ridiculous. joining the table, the host of msnbc's "politics nation." >> oh, man, what is that? what time did you go to bed? >> 12:30. >> why would you do that? >> i don't know. >> he's president of the national action network as well, the reverend al sharpton. and get this, the poll found that sharpton, reverend al is the most often speaks for black americans. and -- >> it's coincidence, i'm number two. which is -- i'm very excited. i'm very excited, reverend al. this is exciting, the national action networks, the national

convention, new york april, i'm going to receive your award this year. >> make sure you read the plaque carefully what you're winning the award for. >> who speaks most often for african-americans, you're at the top of the poll. >> 60% of blacks polled said that someone speaks for them, there's still leadership. and that smacks in the face of people saying, well, there's no leaders anymore. we have internet, we have a black president, people still want advocacy. >> a voice. >> i think that puts a burden on those of us to take our role seriously. and i think that younger leaders are coming along. and i think it's a good thing. but i think -- >> congratulations. >> congratulations. >> it smacks in the face of people who say the leadership and advocacy is no longer needed. >> you'll get some sort of award, i'm sure. >> i think i'm getting it this year. >> you'll get the award all right. make sure -- it's this week,

joe. >> we've got gene robinson here. >> msnbc political analyst eugene robinson. >> did you read the column? the scandal in atlanta. >> would you like to start there, joe? is that your way of starting it off? >> i was being nice to gene, i guess, i don't know, maybe being kind is out of style with you upper west siders. but i was trying to be nice to my friend. >> gene, i'll read from your column in your latest column on the atlanta cheating scandal. you write in part, quote, it's time to acknowledge that the fashionable theory of school reform requiring that pay and job security for teachers, principals and administrators depend on their students' standardized test scores. is at best a well-intentioned mistake and at worst nothing but a racket. i mean that literally. the former superintendent of atlanta public schools was indicted on friday for an alleged cheating scheme that won her more than $500,000 in performance bonuses.

. even absent cheating, the blind obsession with test scores implies that teachers are interchangeable, implements of information transfer rather than caring professionals who know their students as individuals. i totally agree. >> now that t.j. put the entire op-ed, we don't have to read it at home. >> you get the point. >> go on the link so gene gets the link. so, gene, so conservatives like myself believe, you know, we've got to figure out how to figure out what schools are succeeding, which schools are failing. our kids, you know, they're owed that. but this really does show the underbelly of just being led around by your nose by just these scores. >> yeah. when you give standardized tests and you're more worried that the teachers will cheat than the students will cheat, then you've got a problem. you've done something wrong on the structure here.

and i think that there are two things that this horrible atlanta story tells me that, one, we don't have the incentives mix right yet. and to put teachers essentially in the position where either you get fired or you -- or you raise test scores or appear to raise test scores, if the difference is that stark, then people are going to find a way to make it look like test scores are going up and that's not really helping the students. and the other thing, i think, is just the overall question about school reform, which is it's treated as if it's something that's done to a community and to -- to the schools. and it's got to be done with the community and with the schools. got to be done with the teachers and the parents and the students. and these sort of, you know, super star reformers who want to impose a system like that, it hasn't worked out that way.

>> gene has honed in on one part of this. but reverend, al, i saw you nodding in agreement. there's so many layers to this problem. >> no, there are many layers. and you remember because, joe, you and i talked about it when president obama had a look at what was going on with schools and dealing with secretary duncan at the national action network this week, you can't just do it, the standardized tests. you can't just do it with test scores, but you do need the judge performance. and i think that when you have seen what people like randy weingarten, i think this scandal, however it works itself out in the legal process, it raises the question that you can't have these obsessive drives where the children, the students are now no longer important, it's the test scores, drive to the scores. >> as gene said too, well intentioned. and, of course, we're not talking about rich white

suburban kids. they're always taken care of. we're talking a lot of times about young, poor children. we're talking disproportionately of people of color. so how do we do this in a way that quite frankly i'm going to say democrats in the past have been more interested in the past. i think it's changing. of protecting teachers unions than they have been taking care of the truly disadvantaged. i think that's changing pretty dramatically now. but how do we balance the two? how do we make sure that kids in harlem are getting the same deal in public schools that kids in sca scarsdale are? >> well, you have to have equal resources and community involvement because i think, yes, there's a reason that we supported unions because we want to see people make a living and be treated fairly. but we don't want to protect people that are not educating our children. and we don't want to protect people that see our children as just a way somewhere they're using to go somewhere else.

>> that will -- >> you know sometimes you don't have -- >> that's where the challenge has to come. that's where community leaders, community activists have to challenge parents. i went to school on this schools on this tour 3,000 kids, five parents showed up at pta meetings, we've got to condemn that, we've got to deal with parental accountability, community accountability, teacher accountability, but we can't do it all with driving the test scores. >> absolutely. what works is a wholistic approach. it's expensive, time consuming, not easy. you do it one school the a time. but you do start with the assumption that, yes, students in these communities can learn and to just assume that they can or that they can get by with some sort of substandard education that you don't have to try very hard. that's wrong and immoral in my

view. and you have to start with the idea that, yes, they can learn, just like the suburban kids, and the teachers unions are not the issue. the students are the issue, and that's where the focus. >> i've got to take exception to that, in the past, the leaders and teachers unions have been the issue when they say things like, they're asked when are they going to start. i'm being positive here. they've been asked when are you going to start worrying about students as much as teachers, and the answer has been when students start paying union dues. we can't grant absolution to teachers unions. they have acted, i think in a terrible, terrible way in the past, and it's been the truly disadvantaged. and my kids -- any of our kids around this table that have suffered because of what teachers unions and the education establishment have done over the past three decades. but i see you talk about randy, randy working with chris christie, you've got other

people, mike, that i think we're starting to see both sides come together. arne duncan, the president at the center of it. >> this is, if you believe as i do this is about the most critical aspect that we face in this country, the education of our young children, then you've got to really, you know, you can't just blame teachers, you just can't obviously blame the kids, okay. the standardized tests do a couple of things. they give teachers and school administrators a chart to follow to see always. their progress being made in the class. they do not teach kids how to think. that's not being taught in too many schools. but the keyword here and reverend al was the first to mention it, seven minutes into the discussion is parental involvement. you've got to get more parents involved in the education of their children. and in many cases, in cities, it's a single parent. we've got to address that. more so than we have in the past. but it -- >> but, i came up in a single parent home. but my mother did not in any way

neglect going to parent meetings, going to see my teachers and did not tell me i wasn't expected to do something. >> how do you do that, though, man? you know better than anyone in that community, how do you get parents to get engaged? because we -- you're right. we can't just -- i'm not here blaming the teachers. so, please, just waste your -- don't waste your time, i'm not going to read your tweets and e-mails telling me i hate teachers, my mom was a teacher. save yourself your time because you're wasting it. it's about parents, it's about teachers, it's about principals, it's about the community. we talk about the teachers. but how do you get parents engaged that aren't engaged? >> it's a collective effort. you've got to set -- we've got to set a collective effort. >> i think they need to be incentivized. >> and parents must be inspired and incentivizencentivized. >> inside the community on the parents. because those ultimately where the ones where the children go

home. >> there's something else too. we've got to begin to address this issue, i would think as a nation. why is it that so many really smart college graduates when they graduate from college go to work for google or go to work for financial services institutions? why don't they teach? >> right. >> what are we doing that doesn't make teaching a more attractive -- >> hey, gene -- can we start -- can we start. i want to start right here. let's start a national movement, gene, you and me, man, and maybe next year reverend al will give us the award. charlie rangel's been talking about for years. and we talked yesterday about young males and being overmedicated and all the problems. man, we've got -- i really do think, this is an issue for our culture saving the next generation of kids. i think we need to reimplement the draft or community service. >> i couldn't agree more. >> you're either going to the

draft or you're going -- >> give back. >> you're going into teaching. you're going to the inner cities, you're going to the truly disadvantaged. and you're not just sitting in front of a computer watching sports center and eating mcdonald's. not to sound like mika here. >> that's a fascinating idea. we might win reverend al's award with that next year. joe, it's an interesting idea. not just -- the idea of a period of national service that is performed, you know, 18 to 21, whatever. that would be good for a lot of young men who are that age. and having had raising a couple through that age myself, that would be a good thing. because it's a good maturing time. >> we were talking about this the other day. >> and the unifying. something that unifies us, as well. >> well, levels the playing field, by the way, which is important to anybody. whether it's my kids, your kids, anybody's kids has to do it when

they turn 18. and we are in a society, even on all levels of the economic spectrum, where nothing is asked of our kids. everything's right at the fingertips of some sort of computer or device. >> some kids because we have some schools that are not computerized. some schools that don't have that. >> i understand that. >> we've got to have equal resources. don't run past that. >> i agree with you completely, but there is a sense where there's nothing asked of our kids. this would do just that. >> not only that, increasing economic disparity apparent in this country, we're developing larger bubbles. bubbles that kids never leave. they never get out of their bubble. they don't know how anyone lives. they don't know anyone other than those within their bubble. poorer people, poorer children. exist in their bubble forever because they're constrained from achieving greater economic and educational advances. >> such a great idea. >> world war ii was

revolutionary for us as a society because it did. it brought us all together as a nation. >> yeah. >> and, you know, a lot of the civil rights advancements we saw a decade after. you know, whether you're talking about the '57 civil rights act. what led up to that, that started with harry truman and some of the things that truman did with the armed forces. and you know, in '45. i think it can happen. again, again, get people out of their bubbles. and i think, again, the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, not just happening in america, it's happening across the western world. >> i can't think of anything more effective. >> and i think we need to do a collective -- i think we also have to look at -- we've got to have you as our ambassador to your friends. stop cutting the education budget, closing schools. >> you'll never been confirmed. philadelphia, chicago, schools -- we need you to go talk to your brethren and say invest in education. >> okay. >> give us an even playing

field. you may get that award one day. >> and i'll tell you what, you go talk -- >> please don't go on twitter. >> you go talk to the powers that be, reverend al and say let's put kids first. >> absolutely. >> actually, by the way, you've been working, again, you've been working on both sides of it. this is -- it's a real channel. challenge. and we don't need to just pour money into a failed education system. >> no, we don't. >> that's what we've been doing for too long. we need to reform that system and we also need to fund it. >> all right. very, very, very -- >> this is so important what you've said. >> this is -- this is when it works, you know. when you get the whole "morning joe" table talking about an important issue. that's a good thing. >> there you go. >> eugene robinson, thank you. >> i'll take that award, next year, reverend al. >> with joe, though. >> you can read the latest

column at washingtonpost.com. still ahead, a "morning joe" power panel fresh off last night's goldman sachs 10,000 small businesses graduation, arianna huffington, tory burch and valerie jarrett will discuss the challenges for women starting a small business and what it takes to be successful. up next, could we be headed toward the pacific? charlie sennott and jim miklaszewski. she's always been able to brighten your day.

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i think the reality is we don't have as much insight as we should with regards to the inner workings of what happens in north korea. the history here is that these

leaders engage in this kind of provocation, they engage in these kinds of bellicose words and threats. and then after that, they use it, they believe, as a way to try to ultimately then negotiate with us to try to see if they can negotiate some kind of better relationship. whether that happens now, whether this new leader will use this as a way to ultimately get back to the diplomatic table, no one really knows. >> all right. 23 past the hour, joining us now, the executive editor and co-founder of global post, charlie sennott back on the show. good to have you. and at the pentagon, nbc news chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski, good to have you both on this morning. mick, let's start with you and the latest in north korea. >> well, the latest in north korea, did get everyone's attention when they announced they were going to start their nuclear weapons development

program, which was halted in 2007 in an agreement with the international community and the united states. and the north koreans have made it clear today, anyway, that they intend to make their nuclear weapons development a major part of the economy. now, it took everybody not necessarily by surprise, but, again, it did get everybody's attention because after all, if north korea didn't have the ability to produce nuclear weapons, we probably wouldn't be talking about them today. so as the escalation or the tensions have escalated, the provocations back and forth, they finally played their whole card this morning talking about the nuclear weapons development. >> what's it mean, charlie? >> you know, my sense is, they're bluffing. they do this all the time. why this active engagement with a bluff is happening right now is interesting. because i think there must be some rumbling, some sense that this very young, untested leader

in north korea could make a big mistake. it's really interesting to watch how japan has reacted to this. they're talking about an increased mi increased mill that. >> i'm looking for the exact quote. somebody said we should yawn and ignore them. what do you think? >> i'm all for yawning on that one. but i also think -- >> the "national review" online said what you're saying here, they do this all the time, they're playing us. >> why we're hearing from the pentagon, this sort of willingness to engage with the rhetoric this time does interest me, though. i think they may be worried about the unpredictability of a young, untested leader. and i think that's something to be concerned about. but i also think it's a chance to really show off the f-22. i think they're excited to be in there. they want to say that they have this power in the region.

they will have a great impact in south china sea and the east china sea. the u.s. is doing a little bit of muscle flexing in response to the rhetoric. >> so is this for china? as well as north korea? >> i think it's for japan, it's for south korea. >> pretty jets. >> really interesting to hear -- hear the state department talking to -- through third party channels to north korea to say, hey, look at myanmar. i've just come back from myanmar, berma. they're getting a lot of aid. they've come in from the cold. and there's a willingness now in the region to say, here's a case in point of a bad guy who has come back to the table and who finds a way forward. >> so, jim, miklaszewski, before we turn to syria, is the point that charlie made about the new, young leader we don't know well, is that the area where you can't really blow anything off at this point as a bluff? >> well, leon panetta said it in his interview with cnbc, we

don't know his motivations or intentions right now. but it's clear -- and talking about this cycle of provocation, accommodation, aid. repeated over and over again over the past 30 years, but what concerns some of the military leadership is during that time, it's bought the north koreans time to develop their nuclear weapons program, to develop their ballistic missile program. and some argue that that cycle has to be broken. and that's where china comes in. if china doesn't take actions, firm action against north korea, stop delivering the aid in violation of u.n. resolutions and sanctions, then north korea will continue on this pattern. and in terms of talking about bluffs, while there's been a lot of bluster out of the pentagon recently, there were more u.s. forces there two weeks ago than there are today. two guided missile destroyers were there two weeks ago, and the f-22 presence, the b-52

bombers, which they mention are nuclear capable, the b-2 bombers also nuclear capable. all of that has been part of a two-month exercise that has been planned for more than a year. so the u.s. military is not really doing much about the situation there except talking. now, they are concerned as charlie mentioned a moment ago about that miscalculation where some trigger happy north korean or south korean could start launching rockets and create a small, but containable, hopefully, conflict there on the border. >> do we have any sense internally in north korea how much if any of this is this young leader trying to prove to a bunch of crazy generals that he is as crazy as his father was or that he can be as dangerous. >> as you know, michael, there's no inside information in north korea, it's a black box, no one knows what's going on in that leadership neither from the father now nor the son.

and i think that's why the military is taking this seriously. this is bluster, it's always been the case with north korea that they want to bring parties back to the table and they'll do that by saber rattling and shaking up the region. but we don't know what's going on inside north korea. we don't have a good understanding of what's happening on the ground, how this is evolving and how it could change. i think the only thing i see diplomatically is trying to pull forward an example in the region. and to say myanmar is an example of how you get out of this dark path that you're leading yourselves down of isolation being cut off and militaristic. >> let's move on to syria. a british human rights group is estimating 6,000 more syrians killed this past month, the deadliest month. 300 children killed. this continues, we're up 70,000, 75,000, 80,000 syrians killed.

i understand we've been at war for a decade. i have been one of the people, you know, over the past five years out front saying we have got to be more conservative in our foreign policy and not use our troops. how long does the international community sit back and watch assad slaughter women, children, grandmothers. it continues. 75,000, 80,000. >> right. >> 6,000 people, more than half of whom are civilians. the question is no longer how do you support the opposition, how do you stop civilians from dying in this war? and i think one of the things that the united states needs to put more pressure on is a blockade. how is it possible that iran is flying weapons over iraqi air space? that the russians are being allowed to funnel these weapons in. i think blockade, arms embargo,

tightened up international community working on that is really the next phase. and god forbid we enter into this militarily. i think i agree with you, two wars, fatigue, i don't see that happening, no the in a long time. there's a lot of work to do on an embargo. >> yeah. >> is there a way, though, that the international community could come together? i think part of the opposition that a lot of us had with the iraqi engagement was that it was unilateral. is there a way to do this in a joint way? what is the coming together look like? >> i think there is. countries that understand the region that are our allies can put that lot of pressure to come in and enforce this embargo. we need to use the clout we have in iraq. the truth is disturbing. we also need to be tougher on our own allies like saudi arabia. saudi arabia is funneling money,

if not actual people into -- into syria. they've got fighters coming in, they're letting guys, young men out of jail and encouraging to go fight in syria. we also have to be very careful not to play a role in escalating this into a -- >> okay. final words, then what is the road to effective collective action? >> well, currently, there's action taken by the gulf states. others are providing weapons to the resistance force there inside syria. and the u.s. is indirectly providing some training support for the militants in jordan. u.s. special operations forces and others are training the jordanian military to train the militan militants. it's hard to separate the two if you've got an american special operations soldier standing there next to the jordanians watching the training. the u.s. has to be involved somehow. and in terms of the iran weapons

airlift over iraq, you know, in part, they're able to do that because the u.s. and iraq could not reach an agreement to keep a limited number of u.s. forces there inside iraq, including air power if you recall that was part of the discussion at the time. so the iranians can -- or the iraqis can and are saying how can we stop that? >> well, all right, jim miklaszewski, pentagon, charlie sennott, thank you very much to both of you. republican governors resist the medicaid expansion arguing it will bankrupt their states. we'll talk about the challenges facing the president's health care plan with former white house adviser david axelrod. also the chairman for the democratic governor's association, governor peter shumlin will be here. ana, lookin' good! what's your secret?

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stop. >> you say, no -- >> no. >> you're not getting an award. >> reverend al has always loved me. i love reverend al. we go back a long way. >> it's true, you're not getting an award. >> i'm going to get the award. this is my year. this is my year. >> reverend al sharpton, thank you and i'm sorry. >> reverend, thank you so much. >> thank you, and i will look for you, mika --

>> what's my plaque going to say? i'm curious. >> i'll read it very loud. >> i need an aspirin. >> you know, use your inside voice. >> my preacher voice. >> no, don't do that to me. >> it'll be an award you'll never forget. i promise. >> i know. >> taking place here in new york city beginning tomorrow running through saturday, again, thank you. you're amazing. >> they're very excited. up next, creating the tools for success for small business owners. we're going to talk to arianna huffington, tory burch, valerie jarrett and graduate of the goldman sachs 10,000 small business program, that's next when "morning joe" returns.

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all right. welcome back to morning joe -- >> i'm sitting next to valerie. you guys are talking saying what

do i do? i started crying. >> i don't think so, actually. >> that was great. >> it was close. the goldman sachs 10,000 small businesses program graduated 18 female small business owners last night here in new york city. the program is designed to help small business owners learn to grow and create jobs. and they teamed up with the tory burch foundation to develop the first all-female class. with us now, three of the program's advisers. valerie jarrett, the co-founder of the "huffington post" and president and editor in chief of the huffington post media group, arianna huffington. senior designer at tory burch, tory burch. put your name on it, okay. just put your name right on it. >> we can explain that later. >> i'll talk about that. >> also with us, one of the program's graduates, malaney barnette. and you know what? she's not only got the tools to put her business together, but

she sells, and she did last night. i was impressed. actually, tory, let's start with why it's important to put your name on something like this. because you struggled with that at first. believe it or not. >> i did. believe it or not, i did. i wasn't 100% sure i wanted my name on it. i tried several other names. and at the end of the day, i realized after a friend of mine read one of my first articles and said, it was a great article, but you shied away from the word ambition. i realized no longer was i going to shy away from that word. >> when valerie and i got to know each other, this whole issue struck a cord with us. and she was talking about wanting to fly under the radar, use another name, not be front and center. >> guys are a lot like that too. >> yes, we notice that. >> you struggle with that so much. but, valerie, that is something that we have to confront and move through. >> your book did it. knowing your worth, you have to believe in yourself, and if you

do, you're going to exude confidence and other people are going to recognize it as we recognize the talent right here. >> we were talking, valerie and i were talking before, talking about how being an entrepreneur seems to more naturally fit a man's dna. we wake up at 2:00 in the morning and go, somebody has more money than us, somebody has more power than us, i'm going to get up tomorrow. no, i'm going to crush them. women, women instead, are concerned more -- >> worried about what people will think. >> and they're also concerned what people will think, if tory said, if i put my name on it, it'll be so self-centered. if i go into the front office of msnbc and tell them i need more money, what will they think of me? how have you done it? you've been a trail blazer long before "huffington post." how do you get that in your dna? >> i think the most important thing is not to be afraid to fail. because there are no guarantees. any time we start something,

whether it's tory burch or the huffington post, you don't know if you're going to succeed. men have an easier time with failure because they know they can get up and start again. >> that's exactly right. >> for me, the most important advice to young women entrepreneurs is failure is not the opposite of success, it's a steppingstone to success. >> and also, not being afraid to fail. >> it makes a huge difference. >> also being able to -- >> learning those lessons. >> adding to that, you've got to be able to communicate effectively for yourself and not expect others to notice or do it for you. which brings me to the graduate from last night, which you learned in this program. a lot about how not just the tools of how to make a business work but how to sell yourself. >> exactly. one of the things that we learned is in business specifically. you have to ask for what you want. so right now, my company, i create custom handmade carpets. if you're ready to transfer your

space, you can start your joan at maleneb.com. i want people to have the experience of a custom carpet. >> i know. >> you know, tory, you said something i thought that was amazing last night because listening to what mika says all the time about women worrying about what everybody else thinks about them. to their detriment, you had said you've got to tune out the negativity. which even for men, i'll tell you what, i'm not going on my twitter feed for a couple of days after what i said this morning. but you say it's all noise. all the criticism is noise. women have to tune that out and keep their focus on their goals. >> welm, it's true. i was taught that growing up. and any time any negativity was around me, my parents always said, oh, please, it's noise, you're tory robinson, you have to believe in yourself. but in business, it's absolutely

true. everyone has an opinion and they're not always going to agree with you and you have to believe in what you do. >> but we also have to learn to tune out the negativity in our own heads, which sometimes is the most draining one. i call it the obnoxious roommate living in my head. that always puts you down. >> we have a lot of those. >> learning how to silence those voices. >> you can be your own worst enemy. you also have to figure out what is it that really motivates you, what drives you and then go for it. and don't let anybody tell you -- >> can you tell the story really quickly. i think it's so important. i didn't know the story, you were going to the top of the legal profession in chicago. >> well, i don't know about that. >> you're on the 79th floor. >> the office at the sears tower. >> doing what everybody thought i should be doing, practicing law. >> and one day, you're in your office -- >> and i started to cry. i was miserable. i was thinking, i may be doing what i think makes everybody

proud, will my daughter be proud of me one day? and that was what led me to public service. and i never looked back. i went from this beautiful office in the sears tower to a cubical facing an alley. and from the first moment, i knew i was right where i belonged. >> it's about service too, isn't it? we look at tory and her example, what she's done over the past ten years. valerie was talking about how she gives back so much. that what you were saying last night with your carpets. >> exactly. in addition, i work with young designers contacting me and i'm always free willing to give advice. one of the things i always tell them is at the end of the day, no matter what, you have to believe in what you're creating. and if you keep the motto, which is something i do, good things are coming, they're already planned. >> you put all the things together, it really comes down to women helping redefine success for all of us. mika and i are working on a women's conference on this. because men have identified success exclusively with money and power.

if valerie followed that definition, she would still be in the law firm. >> exactly. >> and women redefine success to include your passion, your well being, your desire to serve and do something more than your own life. that's really what makes a complete life. and that's really should be the new definition of success. >> we're going to look into that. >> and my experience is women really help women. and that's something that i think is so important. there's this that womsays that women are competitive with one another. and i haven't seen that. >> i love the event you had me at about a year ago or so and now this partnership with 10,000 small businesses, which you have as well, arianna. tell us what your goals are and why you decided to do this. >> well, we partnered with goldman sachs to launch this dedicated section called what is working. and small businesses. to spot what small businesses are doing. tell their stories, day after day, not just once, but stay on it for a year so that the other

graduates are going to tell us their stories, send us their pictures, slide shows, et cetera. >> let's sell some carpets. so i just put some wood floors upstairs in my place. and i need some carpets. why should i get some from you?? and how can i buy these -- where do i find these carpets? go! >> your journey can begin at maleneb.com. and so i have -- i have a collection where the designs vary from abstract to transitional to very pictorial. each design is inspired by my travels from around the world. so if you like something that is very simple, and monochromatic, i have something for you. if you're in more of a graphic, iconic piece, that tells a story about a ceremony, i have a carpet called mende where i was in india and i used my hands as

the inspiration and also carpets that depict nature. st. vincent, my mother is from an island of st. vincent and it depicts the water in shades of turquoise or can be custom colored for your environment. >> all right. >> a decade from now, tory was hanging out at the beach. a decade later she owns the world. a decade from now, it is going to be you. >> yes. >> did you really start asking for money to grow your business a decade ago? >> it was ten years ago and part of the business plan was to start a foundation. so to have graduates sitting next to me is a very exciting thing. and starting a class with goldman and it was a joy to see last night. >> that's a great point. part of her business plan was starting a foundation. >> from the beginning. >> from the beginning. >> and then told her, don't do

that. why would you do that? >> that's great. >> a message for the media, what you're doing, what we're doing, putting the spotlight on good things happening, on people creating jobs. >> finding the positive. valerie jarrett, arianna huffington, tory burch and malene barn et, thank you very much. an honor to be at the graduation last night with all of you. still ahead on "morning joe," julia sweeney, former cast member of "saturday night live" out with her new book "if it's not one thing, it's your mother." i don't know why that hits me hard. >> we'll be right back with "morning joe." mika will be talking about -- >> mommy.

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it is 8:00 on the east coast, 5:00 a.m. on the west coast. that means it is time to wake up and there is no choice. you've got to go. let's go! come on. get up. and while you're at it, take a live look at new york city. back with us on set here on "morning joe," we have mike barnicle and mark halperin. you enjoyed opening -- >> it was fantastic. i think this was a cheap shot. willy, you're a great basketball player. basketball was never my thing. but, you know, when you're hot, you're hot. there have been times when i've gone out and i had the ball, there are times you go and close your eyes, you just can't miss. other times where you can do that and you miss everything and there have been times, son of a -- and i get so angry. i'm going to go do a layup to -- and you miss that too. there are just some days, it is like that. >> you like to see him finish around the basket a little better than he did. the layup is the one that hurts. >> stop showing this. this is not fair.

this is not fair. stop it. stop it. by the way, give the guy respect, i mean, he keeps shooting from outside, right? >> sure. >> no fear. he knows the cameras are on him. you know there are a lot of guys again, altoona, pennsylvania, and pensacola, florida, they get the cameras on them in the world, i think all of us would have -- >> by all accounts the president has game. he's good. an off moment. >> yeah. >> all right. >> there were some accounts given without tongue in cheek that this was a metaphor for his presidency. >> stop it. come on. >> the other thing that is hard to do, if you've been at a backyard barbecue with the dress shirt on it hais hard to get th arms up. >> here this is -- stop it! stop this. >> you mentioned altoona. >> i'm not even going to make

that sound. please, just don't show it again. stop it. no. i'm not looking. i'm not looking. i'm not looking. i'm not going to do it. stop it. t.j., i'm serious, take that down. that's not fair. stop it. i'm trying to be nice. let's talk about opening day. >> okay. >> this guy, though, i've seen this guy sink some shots. he can shoot. that's not fair. opening day. >> did you have fun? >> i it w . >> it was a special day. i took the family out. and it was -- it was exciting. little jack going around with his boston red sox cap, and -- >> now at the point where they're old enough to get it. >> the guys from queens punching him. i mean, he's 4, but, you know what, he's got to learn. >> no. >> a great, beautiful day after

a long, cold, lonely -- it was a great day yesterday. >> it was great to have the baseball back. great feeling. at the beginning of the game, wonderfully warm, the sun was out. >> it became winter for a number of different reasons in the seventh inning. two-thirds of the people at yankee stadium had gone home by the seventh inning but just nice to have the baseball back in every city. >> and john lester was dealing. he looked good yesterday. granted the lineup he was pitching to was on the ridge with little league, but -- >> and, of course, the sox could lose 161 games, it is a first game of the season, but lester yesterday, man, looked really good. >> going to have a huge year. >> you think so? >> yes. >> okay. is it too late to pick fantasy baseball teams? it was great to have him. and mets had a good day, right. >> they won. >> mets won too. that's great. >> a long day. because after opening day, we ended up at the graduation of

the 10,000 small businesses program for goldman sachs with -- we did a panel, i did, with arianna huffington and tory burch, valerie jarrett and it was -- and gary cone, the chief operating officer of goldman, and it was fantastic. there is a graduate there, malene, who has a carpet business she started and it was so cool to be -- i think our fourth one we were at. >> really cool. and it is always -- whenever i see these things, i'm reminded of my parents, small business owners. when you're a small business owner, you live it. 24 hours a day. and seeing these women coming up with an idea and living it, and we'll just say it, i mean, you know, they get -- they get advice from some of the greatest minds in american business. but, yeah, i can't wait to talk to you about that. we have a lot of things to talk about here.

i just saw this on the "new york times," interesting, mark halperin, you're a japanophile. they're shifting away from passi passivism. does this mean we can stop paying for their national defense? >> that would be part of it if they made a change. a lot of the tensions the united states has now are north korea, obviously in the news, but also with china. i think they will have this debate, but it is going to be hard to get the country to change. a lot of people in japan don't want a different posture. if caroline kennedy is ambassador, national security is a big part of that portfolio. >> let's go, though, to the politics and gun laws and what is going on in connecticut,

fairly significant. 3 1/2 months after 20 schoolchildren were killed in a mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school, connecticut lawmakers have reached a deal for what they call the toughest gun control laws in the country. in the new bill, includes a number of things including a ban on magazines that carry ten or more bullets. well, a grandfather clause will allow those who currently own those types of magazines to keep them if registered. the bill also creates a new registry for existing high capacity magazines. extends the state's assault weapons ban to include 100 new types of guns, creates a dangerous weapon offender registry, imposes immediate universal background checks for all firearm sales and addresses mental health and school safety measures. kind of sounds like something that maybe we all wanted after newtown for the rest of the country. but it appears less and less likely there will be dra mamati

changes to federal gun laws. bipartisan plans to make gun trafficking a federal crime could be gutted if lawmakers adopt new nra proposed language to the provision. the white house has also acknowledged bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines are likely not politically viable. >> so, mike, first connecticut, that's some significant -- significant gun reform up there. >> significant gun reform in connecticut, but depressing on the national -- >> totally depressing, pathetic. >> we talked about it several times last week, over the past several months. you have 80% of the american public in favor of high capacity magazines, something being done about that, universal registration, some reluctance about that -- >> background checks. >> background checks and continually have a huge swath of

congress on both sides of the hill, you know, in opposition to it, in opposition to passing a sensible bill, it is truly depressing. >> mark halperin, i talked to some people at the white house who still feel they can get background checks for criminals, they can get background checks to try to screen people with mental health issues. do you still sense some optimism there on criminal and mental background checks? >> i think it may be impossible to pregame in the sense of let's wait until this gets on the floor of the senate and we see the public debate. you'll see the president, the vice president, the forces who have been advertising including mayor bloomberg try to focus the country's attention at that moment. the house is still a big problem for those who would like to see legislation passed. but the first step is when the senate starts to vote. there will be no where to hide at that point. not just for republicans, but for democrats who have been reluctant to take some of the stuff up. >> you have a great point. and i think of all of the things that ever happened when i was in

congress, the most surprising was actually in a gun control debate, where the democrats took a gun control law to the floor, willy, and, like, oh, lord, we're going to get absolutely pounded. they're going to kill us for days talking about, you know, how cold hearted we are, and it -- it got on the floor and i remember john dingell and john murtha and others shifted the debate and i've never seen anything shift like that. i think the shoe is on other foot now. i think you get this he did bde the floor and talk about background checks to make sure rapists, people that are violent offenders, get screened, to make sure people with mental health issues get screened. i think that's something i think

at the end of the day the nra will say we're going to give people a pass on making sure that rapists and, you know, people that have committed assault at least we have to screen for them. >> i think if the nra was smart they might concede that point. it is so popular. >> i think they might. >> 90% can say they have given a victory to gun control advocates. i think it is a measure of how difficult it is to get things done based on what we have seen in connecticut. if it goes through, it will be the toughest gun law in the country. it still doesn't address a lot of things. namely handguns, doesn't touch handguns, responsible for most of the shooting deaths in this country. obviously in places like new haven, connecticut, big cities, the handgun is the problem more so than semi-automatic rifle. this is progress, if you believe that gun control is a good thing. it is very tough by our national standards. but it still leaves a lot of room and a lot to be desired. >> it is going to be interesting

to see in the course of the debate what the opposition says in opposition to background checks. what do you say? >> a bridge too far is one explanation i heard. and then when chuck todd pressed, i think jeff flake on it, he said, well, it is a lot of paperwork and it would get complicated, especially when you're sharing guns between -- it made -- i'm sorry, it wasn't enough. i don't get it. i guess my question for you, with all due respect, to members of the republican party, who have a fight for their political lives ahead of them, already lost two, are there certain sections of the country where they represent where we don't get it and that they will lose their jobs? >> of course there are a lot of people in manhattan, in chicago, i'm just saying, in urban centers that don't, quote, get it, don't get the culture. that's not just about guns.

that's about faith. that's about, you know, evangelicals. >> but is it that extreme? >> there is a big cultural divide here. i will tell you, most people, whether you're in pensacola, florida, or whether you're in, you know, connecticut, believe that there should be background checks for criminals. i believe there should be background check for people that have mental health issues. >> is it widespread, people that think they should have bushmasters? >> no. but the argument that has always been made, and i've made it for years, it is a slippery slope argument, i made it when i was in congress nonstop, because we start here, and then you move the line. okay, so you get what are called assault weapons. what's next? then are you going to go after, you know, my glock and then after my glock you're going to go after, you know, another type of handgun and then -- how far

does that go? my only argument is that at least since 2008 we know how far that goes. scalia has outlined it. mark, and he said, and the court said, we know this for sure, you can't ban an entire class of guns like handguns. you can't ban guns in common usage that people use to protect their family and their home. you can't ban handguns. can't do it. but as we will see from this connecticut law, you will not have gun organizations trying to overturn this connecticut law. because they know that the legislature in connecticut was within the constitutional boundaries to ban high capacity magazines and some of these other things that some republicans have been going out saying are unconstitutional. if they believe it is unconstitutional, they need to take it to the supreme court and let the supreme court make a decision on it. >> i think -- this is not a prediction, but you can imagine a world coming up here where the

nation is focused on the senate floor, where you have -- what has to happen for there to be a movement. one is the nra has to either back off or appear less fearsome or have republicans who feel like they're really concerned about what happened in newtown, want to make changes. imagine a world where a nancy reagan or george bush 41 or even howard baker or james bakker, some big republican figure, some who have spoken out in the past for some gun control, imagine if they become part of that debate, becomes less michael bloomberg versus the nra and more of a search for middle ground. >> coming up on "morning joe," former "saturday night live" cast member julia sweeney will join us on set. she's out with a new book "if it's not one thing, it's your mother". >> you can relate to that. >> she's up now. that's bad. up next, david axelrod will be here with chairman of the democratic governors association, vermont governor

peter sheindlin. first, here is bill karins with a check on the forecast. >> he's great. >> a lot of people of new york not saying that this morning. we have people calling in saying they have snow on the ground now even, outside of north syracuse up towards interstate 81, across the new york state through way from johnstown, snow on the ground. big change from yesterday. 60 degrees in those spots yesterday. here is the weather pattern for today. i think this is winter's last gasp. the cold air from canada, the jet stream which provides the winter weather, it is heading to the north. the southern half of the country, we have a complete pattern change. next week at this time, we'll see the cool air and stormy weather out in the rockies with thunderstorms in the plains. and then the warm air should be coming up from the gulf, all the way up the eastern seaboard, almost into areas of central and northern new england. we could be looking at areas that are now looking at snow, possibly to mid-60s next week at this time. wouldn't that be nice change.

today's forecast, again, a cold chilly morning in new england through the great lakes. it will warm up a little bit this afternoon. watch out for thunderstorms in texas. that's kind of the sign of things changing. the country is beginning to warm up. we'll start to head into that weather pattern as we go into next week. no tornados or anything like that. but we want it to finally feel like spring. nice shot of the ice rink, having no problems keeping it cold at rockefeller plaza. watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ana, lookin' good! what's your secret?

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chica chica boom boom. a told b and b told c, i'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree. wee said d to e, i'll beat you to the top of the coconut tree. life is meaningless and everyone you love is going to die some day. okay. get off my lawn. i need a drink. >> you know, he's been under a lot of pressure lately. >> terrible. >> that is awful. >> hilarious. joining us now, former senior adviser -- >> who says that to kids? >> you didn't advise him on that. >> people say he doesn't relate well to congress, but there he was having them on the lawn.

>> that's good. all republicans there. all right. director now of the university of chicago's institute of politics, and msnbc contributor, david axelrod at the table. also with us, the chairman of the democratic governors association, governor of vermont, one of my favorite states, peter shumlin. welcome. good to have you here. >> good to be on with you. >> a lot going on. we start with obama care. want to launch into it? >> let's launch into it. >> okay, fine. >> you taking the money? >> great things with the money. we're insuring vermont. >> do you want florida's money? >> we'll take all the money we can get. >> texas' money? >> the great thing about obama care for vermont, the affordable care act is this, we'll take in hundreds of millions of federal dollars to help employers deal with struggling health insurance. and, you know, everyone knows, i'm a small business person, came to governor's office as a business person, not a politician. i can tell you, biggest challenge for me as a small business person is the rising cost of health insurance. look at the money.

right now in vermont we're spending 20 cents of every dollar on health care. if our health care costs grow for the next ten years, at the same rate they did for the last ten years, that will double in the next decade. if anyone thinks that's not a jobs killer, i don't know what is. we'll ensure our people and have a great plan. >> the cbo says, david, help me out here, i'll ask you to put on your political analyst hat and not a hat as someone who worked with the president. >> i got to find the right hat. >> that's a big hat to take off. but, you know, if i'm running against a democrat in 2014, i know they didn't want to talk about obama care in 2012 and 2010. i'm going to bring up the cbo numbers that say health care costs for americans are going to rise by a third, going to be 5 million kicked off over the next ten years. how did democrats do a better job embracing obama care in 2014 when all of this kicks in? all of these rules kick in. >> well, also, what kicks in is

going to be availability of health care for a bunch of people who have been priced out of the market. also, what kicks in is the ability for people with pre-existing conditions to get health care. i as someone who has a child with a significant medical problems, i went through that experience of having a hard time getting insurance because she had a pre-existing condition. so those are things i think that democrats can run on. and, i mean, i think the governor can speak to the fact that are disputes as to what the ultimate effect of the program will be. but i think it is a mistake to run away from this program. i think you got to embrace it because it is going to make a big difference in the lives of a lot of people. >> it is also a huge jobs creator. this is what we forget in this discussion. as governors, we have to balance uth abo budgets. we got to make things happen. the bottom line is, any employer

will tell you, the biggest challenge they face, costs they cannot control, is the rising cost of health care. we got to get this under control. the way you do that is by bringing the uninsured into the pool, so you're not shifting costs to those who are paying, businesses mostly, and ensure we have a sensible system. >> and that's -- even conservatives will say, you talk to -- florida takes the medicaid money or not, texas takes the medicaid money or not, if an uninsured person shows up with their children at an emergency room at 11:00 at night, hospital has to take them anyway. you're shifting costs in a way that is much more haphazard. >> i think what the governor says is really important. the question is, what is your alternative? because the status quo is unsustainable. one problem the republican party had in last campaign is they didn't offer a credible alternative. they were against this, but they didn't have an alternative and everybody understands or a lot

of people understand that there is an inexorable increase in cost is unsustainable. >> bill kristol at the national review symposium i was at said, hey, we got to have alternatives. republicans in the past had alternatives. we had alternatives to bill clinton's health care plan. we had alternatives to budgets. we have to do that again. i think they're starting. let's talk about the key governor races that are coming up. good luck in jersey, baby. >> yeah. >> our guy has 74%. how do you beat chris christie? >> you know, i went through a storm -- tropical storm irene and saw my poll numbers go through the roof too. it is a lot easier to see your poll numbers go up after the storm than delivering on a rebuild. i can tell you, you can make some problems there. here is the point about chris christie. he's one of the few governors in america who said he was going to come in, we have more new governors elected in 2010 than anytime in american history erk ca he came in and said we'll make jobs. he has the same unemployment

rate, very high, 47th highest in the country, that he had when he was elected. he kicked the middle class in the teeth. property taxes go up. he's vetoed minimum wage bills. he's against a woman's right to choose. he's fighting gay and lesbian equity issues on every issue that the blue state of new jersey believes in. whether social issues or economic policies, he's kicking the middle class in the teeth and killing jobs. >> sounds like an awful record. i'm going to bet you, i'll take chris christie even money. >> hey, listen, i will not deny it is an uphill battle. realistic about this. we know we're behind. i do not believe it will be anything like what it is now and we'll see terry mccauliff, moderate pro business governor win. >> he's going to make a bet, he's going to lose it and you're going to lose your mustache. i love america. let's talk about virginia. mark halperin, this ken

cuccinelli made some mistakes, no doubt about it. a lot of republicans -- >> understatement. >> yeah. that said, guess who is ahead. terry is losing by like three points, right? >> depends on the poll. it is close though. >> it is close. we were saying earlier that if you look at just the media coverage, terry should be up by about ten points now and he's not. i think that spells real problems for democrats, even in virginia. >> yeah. why is it so close and what does terry have to do to win? >> part of it is close because people haven't really focused on this race yet. what he has to do to win is bring cuccinelli into greater focus. the fact is he's to the right of mcdonald. he's a guy who i think is unacceptable to large numbers of voters there. it is going to be close in virginia. virginia is like two states. part of virginia is a suburban state. and part of it is very much a southern state. and it is going to be close. i think at the end of the day, cuccinelli may be too heavy a

lift for the republicans. >> you say he has to take a look closer and focus the campaign on him, he could do like governor shumlin and what you said to buzz feed, cuccinelli makes mitt romney and his 47% comment look moderate. no more extreme example of a tea party candidate for governor than cuccinelli. have you read his book? he characterizes both social security and medicare as goodies. >> he is a middle of the road guy. >> no question about it. i run a state, he's the master of this, but he's hit it on the head. ken cuccinelli is out of touch with a majority of virginians. if you look at what happened -- >> why is he winning? >> excuse me? >> why is he winning now? >> david just said, no one is focused on the governor's race yet. here's the point. contrast that with terry mcauliffe who has been creating jobs since he was 14 years old,

a moderate pro business governor, i think virginians are going to say, listen, for jobs and economic development, we're going with a moderate bipartisan approach that will be terry mcauliffe. this guy called medicaid, medicare, sorry, and social security goodies. last time i checked we paid in for social security and get a return on your investment, we hope. the bottom line is, ken cuccinelli is the example of the tea party challenge that kicked the republicans in the teeth in the last election. here they go again. bill boiling, the lieutenant governor there, there is an example of a moderate republican. ken cuccinelli's team kicked him out of the state, he's not running and now you have an example of what we saw before. ken cuccinelli running against a moderate pro business democrat, i think terry mcauliffe wins that race. >> this sounds like 2009, bob mcdonald, right wing nut, wrote a thesis paper at pat robertson's law school saying

women should be barefoot and pregnant or whatever. you heard this over and over. he was an extreme -- he was up by 20 points. >> well, the difference is, here are a lot of republicans saying they don't have a lot of hope for cuccinelli and they're not going to be very much out front. as for mcdonald, they were all out for him. i think that if terry is -- lost last time, he's a better candidate than he was and thought about the mistakes he made, but he still never won a public office before and that presents a burden for democrats. winning your first office is tough state wide. as many strengths as terry has, he still has to prove he can appeal to the parts of virginia that republicans do well in. >> and, david, as you know, politically, washington, d.c. is light-years away from richmond. politically. and how does -- how does terry make that -- make that jump? terry is a lot more d.c. than he is even richmond. >> i think the governor hit it

on the head. he's going to talk jobs. and that's fundamental issue to people across the state and he's going to run as a jobs creator and business man. and, you know, that will be -- i think he has to curb his natural ebullience, but, you know -- >> an understatement. >> not do shots on the air in the morning. >> but on mcdonald, versus cuccinelli, it is one thing to explain what you wrote in law school, another thing to explain what you've been doing for the last few year. cuccinelli has gone from one controversy to another. so he -- >> he wrote terry's opposition research book. >> broad issue. we see on the front page of "the new york times". >> pretty surprising he's had -- i'm sorry. go ahead. >> exactly. connecticut with really big gun legislation. what's happening with the federal gun -- why can't -- >> depressing story about that. >> it is really depressing.

it is going to be completely watered down. if that. really? really? >> i'll tell you what i find remarkable. not just that 90%, including 86% of republicans support pack ground checks, but now they're going after the trafficking laws -- >> say that again. >> 86% of americans support the background checks, expanded background checks. more than 90%. 86% of republicans. >> let's just stop there. 86% of republicans nationwide support criminal background checks and background check for people with mental health problems. >> i just want to say this, i come from the city of chicago, we know we have had a violence problem there, a lot of it has to do with straw buyers arming street gangs. there is no doubt in every law enforcement will tell you that stronger trafficking laws combined with universal background checks would make a real difference. people are afraid of the nra and trading their jobs for young lives in places like chicago.

and it is a terrible blight. hopefully people will step up and do the right thing. it is extraordinary to have all the country on one side and the congress on the other. >> yeah. >> all right, david axelrod and governor peter shumlin, thank you very much. >> great to be with you. >> governor, thank you for being here. >> thank you for having us. we'll bring you some good vermont maple syrup -- >> i need some. i love it. >> we're making syrup. >> thank you. i'm really excited about our next guest. julia sweeney, former cast member of "saturday night live," she's out with a new book. her journey from being a love starved television star to a minivan driving mother and wife. she's next when "morning joe" comes right back. we went out and asked people a simple question: how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone

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what the hell are you anyway? >> oh, i know what you're thinking. am i a crypt or am i a blood. >> no, what we want to know is are you a brother or a sister. >> i'm an only child. >> there is a word for what you are. >> charismatic? >> spike, what is the word i'm looking for?

>> androgynous. >> that's right. androgynous. that's what everyone says about me. good old androgynous pat. pat's always cheerful and androgynous with everybody. >> so what the hell are you? >> that was a clip from the movie "it's pat" starring julia sweeney as her famous "saturday night live" character, the androgynous pat. julia is out now with a new book. "if it's not one thing, it's your mother." she joins us to talk about that and pat. i loved those "snl" skits. those were hysterical. >> thank you. >> this is an actual pillow. >> the book was a pillow. >> her mother gave her this pillow. >> this book was a pillow. >> there is pat again. >> her mother gave her a pillow that said this, and she immediately hated the pillow and her mother for giving it to her. >> yes. i sort of put it in the closet and brought it out when my

mother came to visit and then i became a mom, i adopted my daughter, who was 1 1/2 when i adopted her and i felt the pillow was hysterical all of a sudden. i put it on her bed. when she was 7, she came to me in the kitchen and said i don't like this. it is not funny. i don't want it in my room. >> the life circle begins. >> exactly. that's how i start the book with this idea. >> that's great. >> can you feel her pain? >> oh, my gosh, yes. i don't think i should talk about -- oh, my lord, yes. my daughters are giving me back for what i gave my mother. i was a pill. my mother would say it all the time. >> it always happens, doesn't it? >> i always think the best thing that happened between my mother and i for our relationship is i became a mother. now i have so much more empathy for -- >> you totally change. >> i think motherhood is like a ponzi scheme. you have to keep getting someone roped into the game to understand, to get your payback. >> exactly. >> so this is what julia writes in her book. i love my family.

if only they would disappear. why do i sometimes find myself entertaining the enticing idea of entering a witness protection program. why does the desire arise when i walk my dog to lake michigan to drop the dog leash and then toward upper peninsula and then on to montreal and then the atlantic and in a frothy sea that would suck me into somehow incongruously some calm tranquillity? i just want this family to go away and leave me be and now they are leaving me be. >> and now you want them back. >> i get a month off from family. my daughter goes to camp and my husband is out of town on business for a month. that's when i write the book. i get all this time to finally be alone which i always want to be and then by the end, of course, i want them back. >> of course. why so why did you write the

book? >> i gave a talk about telling me daughter about the birds and the bees that became a sensation. and there was a lot of attention and i keep a journal every day and i've written for a long time and i've done some stuff on the stage about my family. i decided because of that ted thing to make it into a book. >> perfect. >> here is a question for all the moms and dads out there, as we approach summer, not fast enough, as your child goes off to camp, and writes the following letter home to you. okay. as you receive this letter. dear mom and dad, i'm having a lot of fun. i need a pen. it is my third day and i have done arts and crafts three times. and this note is so i can eat. >> at her camp, you have to write a letter to get into the dinner line. so all the letters start the same way. i'm really hungry right now. i'm only writing this because of my hunger. >> bye. exactly.

>> mark. >> all right, i can't really top the camp thing. talk about the chance parking lot meeting that changed your life. >> the chance parking lot meeting? >> yeah, did i get this wrong? did you not meet your future in-law in a parking lot? >> oh, yeah. well, actually, that's very interesting that you mention that because i have my mother-in-law here with me today. but -- >> you met in a parking lot? >> yes. i got a fan letter from somebody. i was doing a show called "letting go of god," all about me going from being a catholic to not a catholic. and beyond. and i was doing the show and i got a letter that -- the headline was desperately seeking sweeney in-law and he said you should marry my brother, because his deal breaker is women can't be religious in any way. over the course of a year, i met a friend of theirs and the brother came nine months later and i met the mother and then finally i wrote this guy, and then we ended up getting married. like a crazy -- >> was the original letter --

cut out from different magazines? >> no, they weren't. it was an e-mail. so it was a very unusual and serendipitous way to meet. he was so embarrassed about it because my husband was not part of this plan. he didn't really understand what was going on. >> he wrote the letter without permission? >> yes, he was told about the letter, but he didn't think he would send it and he was upset when he found out he did. >> working mother, right? >> yes. >> do you write about that at all? >> yes, i do. yeah. i think -- it is kind of funny because i kind of feel like you should work -- don't say this in the book, but i feel like you should work the most when your kids are really young because i feel like once they get into school, and it is the mental game rather than just a physical game, i feel like when they're really little, if you have a loving nanny, that's good enough. you should work -- i was told work the most hours before they're 5. then you actually, i think it is fun to be home when they come home from school and see what's happening and i feel like the game really kicks in when they're older.

>> i'm learning that. i found it hard when they were young, very physically grueling, but now it is like an emotional roller coaster, a maze. i long for babies. the book is if it is not one thing, it's your mother. julia sweeney. thank you so much. you can read an excerpt on our blog. so nice to meet you. >> so nice to meet you. i'm so glad to be here. >> thank you for coming. it turns out i'm not the only one that has issues with the iphone. >> really? >> a fewf million apple customes in china aren't happy either. why the ceo is apologizing next on "morning joe." this is $100,000.

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apple ceo tim cook -- >> look at this. >> it is cracked. let me guess, you dropped it six inches. >> my phone -- i breathed on it. my phone is cracked here. it makes you angry, doesn't it? >> i think it is silly. now you have to buy covers for $40 or $50. seriously. >> happening now. >> anyhow -- >> he's not apologizing to you for that. >> he's not. they could care less. they love the fact that we'll spend more and more and more money buying more and more. i'm stopping and moving to something else. his name is sam. samsung. >> i saw one last week. >> how did it go? >> you have to have two hands to carry it. >> then i won't lose it. >> as big as a 1952 desoto. >> two nannies they can prop it up. >> two nannies. >> i got to get to the story. we don't have a lot of time. >> two nannies, one samsung. >> apple's ceo tim cook spent monday apologizing to customers in china who are frustrated with

the company's customer service. china is the company's second biggest market and apple has faced criticism there over the shortness of its product warranties offering one year protection when chinese law mandates two. the controversy earned the headline from the main communist newspaper defeat apple's incomparable arrogance. >> how do you say apple care in mandarin? >> not sure. >> you must know. you got to know. >> i'm sorry. that's funny. >> don't know. >> i'm going to -- what did we learn today? >> i sorry. >> oh, my god. ♪ i've got the power this time around it's gonna be different. this time around you're finally gonna lose the weight. like i did. on weight watchers. like she did. ♪ she got the power and she did. ♪ you've got the power

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get planting with package seeds. now buy one, get one free. welcome back to "morning joe." time to talk about what we learned today. we're on the air. >> sorry. >> want to talk? >> yes, what did you learn today? >> i learned a lot of stuff today. >> what? >> women and small business. >> what did you learn? >> i pass for now. >> what did you learn, mike? >> we should spend more time talking about national service and get young people out of the bubbles they grow up in. >> that was a great idea, great point. >> national service and the draft. let's do it. 18 to 20. >> i want to thank deena powell, goldman sachs, the 10,000 small businesses program is amazing. we had a fantastic time at the graduation last night. met some tremendous entrepreneurs and we were